Despite the hype around Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall, Curtis Blaydes isn't approaching their title fight differently to any other of his bouts.
Two years on from their disappointingly short first showdown in London, Aspinall and Blaydes will once again share the Octagon across the pond, this time with championship gold on the line at UFC 304 in Manchester.
Since a knee injury brought their UFC Fight Night headliner to an end after just 15 seconds, Aspinall has gone on to recover, bounce back, and claim the interim belt. Blaydes, meanwhile, has remained high up the ladder courtesy of a victory over Jailton Almeida earlier this year.
With that, and with champion Jon Jones choosing to welcome Stipe Miocic back to the cage over unifying the titles, Aspinall will defend his interim belt against Blaydes, who is heading back to enemy territory with a 'business as usual' approach...
Speaking to the media while in attendance at this past weekend's UFC Fight Night in Denver, Colorado, Blaydes looked ahead to his first opportunity to capture gold on MMA's biggest stage.
When asked about his preparation for the co-headliner on July 27, the 33-year-old Illinois native said it's been a familiar story throughout fight camp, with no changes or additions based on his opposition.
Conditioning (has been the focus in camp). That's the same old," Blaydes said. "I don't adjust for anyone. I have prepared for this fight the same way I prepare for everyone. I don't like to add extra adjustments, extra things to think about. There's already a whole lot, we don't need to add anything else.
Just a normal, standard fight camp," Blaydes continued. "Eight weeks of sparring, drilling, running, icing; normal stuff.
Blaydes will hope that approach helps him to repeat the official result from his 2022 UFC Fight Night headliner against Aspinall, albeit in a more legitimate and emphatic way.
Should he accomplish that feat, "Razor" will have a UFC title in his possession for the very first time, and the current talk of a unification fight between Aspinall and Jon Jones will switch to Blaydes vs. "Bones."
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